Apr 4, 2012

When I told The Husband that Rick Bayless is the new featured chef at I Heart Cooking Clubs, he said, "Old Rick better deliver because Kiros is going to be one hard act to follow."

I'll let you know in 6 months if Rick held his own or not.

This week begins a new cycle of I Heart Cooking Club themes...cooking the recipes of the Fiesta Freak himself, Rick Bayless. I've been reading through many of Balyess' cookbooks as well as recipes from the Frontera Fiesta website for several weeks.

My first impression is that Rick seems to be a fun guy. So what better way to celebrate this week's ¡Bienvenido Rick! theme than with FUNdido? (Yeah. I had to go there.)

Hola, Rick.
Hola, Queso Fundido con Hongos y Chile Chipotle.

That's a mouthful.
But I don't think you'll mind the mouthful.

Bayless suggests serving this fundido (I like saying that!) in warm corn tortillas. Since we were already eating tortillas as part of supper, I decided to serve it with chips.

It is earthy and spicy and gooey. A hint of sweet from the browned onions. Just the slightest woodsy hint... after I finally remembered to toss some thyme on top.

The Husband and I loved this. The Boy not so much. He's not a mushroom eater. I really do think this is better suited being hugged by a warm tortilla since we had to smear the fundido on our chips with a spoon. But, no doubt, it will be tasty no matter how you choose to deliver it to your mouth.

Find out how Rick is being welcomed at I Heart Cooking Clubs
If you've been wanting to join I Heart Cooking Clubs, now is the perfect time.

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium-high. Add the onion and cook, stirring frequently, until soft and beginning to brown, about 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms and stir nearly constantly until they have softened and any juice they release has evaporated, about 5 minutes longer. Stir in the sliced chipotle, then taste and season with salt, usually about 1/4 teaspoon.
Transfer the mixture to a pie plate.

Very lightly dampen a clean kitchen towel. Check the tortillas to make sure none are stuck together. Wrap them in the towel, then in foil, sealing the edges tightly. Place in the oven and set the timer for 7 minutes.

When the timer goes off, stir the shredded cheese into the warm mushroom mixture. Set in the oven alongside the tortillas and bake until the cheese is just melted, about 5 more minutes. Sprinkle with the thyme and black pepper and serve immediately, accompanied by the warm tortillas.

18 comments:

What's the I Heart Cooking Clubs? I totally fell in love with Rick Bayless's after his season on Top Chef Masters. He's amazing! If his cookbook is as awesome as you say it is (and I'm sure it is) I will have to put it on my birthday list. :)

Julie- I Heart Cooking Clubs is a group of bloggers who blog the recipes of a featured chef for six months. Themes are chosen for each week and you pick a recipe from the featured chef that you feel fits the theme. Blog about it and link up to the IHCC site. We just finished cooking from Tessa Kiros' books, now we're starting Rick Bayless. See http://iheartcookingclubs.blogspot.com/ to join!

You totally read my mind. I also wanted to start of with fundido, but stepped on the scale and decided to go with something else. I'm loving all that melty cheesy goodness. I know that had to be delicious! So glad you'll be joining us with Rick.

POTLUCK PARTY

Comment ça va?

This is my story of life in Louisiana, told through Cajun & Creole food. It's my story of rediscovering Louisiana after living out of state for 12 years. I hadn't realized the uniqueness of my culture…the people, the food, the music, until I was no longer surrounded by it. Hope you find it unique too.